Mailbox signal



Dec. 16, 19,58 w, A, PE1-mE 2,864,553

lvuumaoxv sIGNAL Filed March 51, 195s ATTORNEY United tStates Patent C MAILBOX SIGNAL Wilbur A. Petrie, Tucson, Ariz.

Application March 31, 1958, Serial No. 725,231

1 Claim. (Cl. 232-35) This invention pertains to a mail box signal and is particularly directed to a signal operated by the opening of the mailbox door.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a rural mail delivery box signaling means that will be automatically actuated upon opening the door of the box.

Another object of this invention is to provide a rural mailbox signaling device that will serve as an additional signal to the regulation signal on the box to indicate the mail box door has been opened.

A further object is to provide a simple and efficient indicating signal that can be easily installed on present regulation mailboxes.

And a still further feature of this invention is to provide an indicating signal which is installed on regulation rural mailboxes in such a manner as to in no way interfere with normal use and manipulation of the mailbox.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from a detailed description of the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a mailbox signal incorporating the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the mailbox structure shown in Fig. 1.

As an example of one embodiment of this invention there is shown a regulation rural mailbox having the usual door 11 pivotally mounted on the hinge pins 12 and the regulation sign 13 pivotally mounted at 14 on the right hand side of the mailbox for indicating to the postman there is outgoing mail placed in the box.

In order to indicate to the box-holder that the mailbox has been opened, as when mail has been delivered to the box by the postman, there is provided a signal comprising the flag member 15 preferably consisting of a plate of material having a red side 16 and a white side, or color matching the color of the mailbox, at 17, the upper portion 1S of which lies vertically iiat against the back surface 19 of the mailbox 10 to prevent dislodgement by the wind. The lower portion 20 of the ag member 15 slopes rearwardly and downwardly away from the back 19 of the box 10 and is hinged along its lower edge on the hinge pin 21 which is journaled at its right end 22 in a suitable bearing bore 23 formed in a bracket 24 xed as at 25 the right hand side of the mailbox back 19.

The left hand lend 26 of the hinge pin 21 is journaled in a bearing bore 27 formed in the rear end 28 of the trip rod 29. The trip rod 29 is slidable in a bearing bore 30 formed in the bracket 31 lixed to the mailbox 10, the forward end of the trip rod 29 being pivotally mounted as by the pin 32 at a point on the door 11 upwardly and rearwardly of the axis of rocking of the door hinge pins 12. Fixed to the back of the mailbox is a trip lug 33 2,864,553 Patented Dec. 16, 1958 ICC having an abutment ledge 34 adapted to just touch the surface 34 of the lower portion 20 of the flag member 15 when it is in swung-up position shown in full line in Fig. l.

When the postman pulls the door 11 open to position 35, Fig. l, pin 32 swings upwardly and forwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow 36 pulling rod 29 for wardly to likewise move the left hand end 26 of the hinge pin 21 toward the back of the mailbox. This causes the abutment edge 34 to act against surface 34a to flip the flag member over the hinge pin 21, causing the flag member to swing rearwardly to the position 3'7 and down to the position 37a causing the red side 16 to be exposed to view from the rear of the mailbox and the box-holders` residence. After the postman deposits the mail and closes the door 11, the flag member still remains in the lower position 37a. After the box-holder has again opened the box, removed the mail and again closed the door 11, he merely flips up the flag member 15 to the full line position shown in Fig. l, ready for the next delivery by the postman.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes a preferred. form of the invention, it is also to be understood that the apparatusis capable of mechanical alteration without departing from the spirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement and commercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendant claim are intended to be included herein.

Having thus fully set forth and described this invention what is claimed and desired to be obtained by United States Letters Patent is:

In combination with a regulation rural mailbox having a forwardly and downwardly swinging door pivotally mounted on hinge pins at the lower front edge of said mailbox, a signal means on the back of said mailbox tripped by the opening -of said door comprising a delivery ag member having an outer portion lying against the back of said mailbox and having a lower rearwardly sloping portion with its lower edge xed to a hinge pin, a bracket xed at the right hand side of the rear corner of said mailbox having a bore to pivotally receive the right hand end of said delivery ilag hinge pin, a longitudinally rearwardly extending trip rod on the left hand side of said mailbox pivotally connected at its front end on a pin ixed to said door at a point above and rearwardly of the door hinge pin axis and longitudinally slidably supported in a bracket iixed to the left hand side rear corner of said mailbox, said rod including a bearing bore in its rear end to pivotally receive the left hand end of said delivery flag hinge pin, and means on the back of said mailbox to engage said lower rearwardly sloping portion of said delivery flag adjacent the left side of said mailbox when said trip rod is longitudinally actuated by the opening of the mailbox door by horizontally moving the left hand end of said delivery flag hinge pin toward the back of said mailbox to trip said delivery flag to swing down to a lower hanging position below the rear edge of said mailbox.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 870,654 Weston Nov. l2, 1907 879,022 Wolf Feb. 1l, 1908 1,562,536 Berg Nov. 24, 1925 2,475,098 Jones July 5, 1949 2,480,469 Horn Aug. 30, 1949 

